Mat(ing) Games
by Misa Kagekatsu
Summary: "There was something about his bloodlust, that instead of freezing her, it warmed her heart until she couldn't keep it checked anymore." [Oneshot, Spoilers for Valentine's Arc]


"There was something about his bloodlust, that instead of freezing her, it warmed her heart until she couldn't keep it checked anymore." [Oneshot]

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 _Who's making you fight beyond your capacity?_

He acted as her guinea pig, perfect for hiding her true intentions behind two matching sets of cyan pigtails. Others viewed him as a venomous snake, but she was the vulture to prey upon the remains.

His bloodlust wasn't what attracted her to him in the first place, though. It wasn't the long ponytail either, or the slight frame- _wait that's a guy_ , she had overheard-just that his posture was too _off_ to be normal. Sure, it was the first day of the E for Excrement class, enough to make anyone dejected, but he was hunched over as if trying to make himself disappear. She could remember those surprised cerulean irises when she had skipped over to introduce herself, trying hard to mask her own intentions when he had smiled in thanks. She fell into the role of a careless, dim-witted girl easily, chuckling whenever she noticed him getting stronger beside her.

Yet, now in the heat of battle, she cowered and thought that perhaps _she_ was the guinea pig all along. Kayano Kaede quickly sidestepped a sudden attack, but in doing so, lost her footing and fell down squarely. She clambered to her feet, fists clenched as her opponent kindly looked away, a slight smile betraying what he had seen.

Koro-Sensei had thought it an "excellent battle, to prepare the mind and the body", and so set Class 3-E to be his pawns of certain games. Kayano, savoring her pudding, had rolled her eyes when the pervert teacher announced they were doing the same pairs during the "Test of Courage" on their island retreat; her hand jerked when she heard they were to play together, so soon after...that.

She had looked down in dismay, though she was unsure if the heat on her cheeks came from that fact that her favorite pudding was ruined again, or because a certain blonde and redhead were snickering behind her.

Leaning onto a rook, Kayano cast a furtive glance around her. Monochromatic, her classmates' faces swarmed around her, waiting for her next command. She could sense the trap he had carefully set around her feet, making it impossible for her to escape. Her own arrogance led her to this challenge, and now she had to pay the price.

There was no way she could flee this abyss. She was falling, opening her mouth to end it all-

"-You can do it, Kayano-san!"

Okuda Manami. The green-haired girl blinked slowly, trying to comprehend her friend's words of encouragement.

"Yeah!"

"Don't give up! It's not a game of God!"

Her classmates' shouts filled her ears, her head buzzing until she could only focus on the one who had said nothing. Right in front of her, only a cocked eyebrow and a gentle smile kept her from failing, from being herself.

Kayano smirked, a black glove planted on her hip as she straightened and swiftly shattered his pure plan. She wasn't anywhere near his caliber of strength, but even the greatest of assassins had something to learn after all.

 _I understand, so much that it hurts_

They were down to their final moves, with her on the offense for once. Panting, Kayano feinted, throwing her weight to the left as her opponent fell back. She had to keep herself from cheering when she saw a speck of black on the boy's ivory jacket. He didn't seem to notice, but the mood suddenly shifted. Her shoulders tensed, and she wanted to shout at him to hurry for some reason.

She bit her bottom lip, just how long was this going to go on? Forward, backward, this intricate dance of black, white, green, blue was as familiar as the former wisp of tentacles on the back of her head. She could see the end coming, almost as easily as when her opponent had revealed himself and challenged Karma in their class war.

This wasn't a game anymore; it was a matter of life and death. Death of her darkened heart, if her classmates' anxious faces were any indicator.

Kayano shook her head; now wasn't time to let him read her wavelengths again. Still, she mused as she watched her opponent collect himself, he had an uncanny ability to get underneath one's skin. Who was he to her, exactly?

From smiling at his bully Class D classmates to sneaking behind Takaoka-sensei's back twice, could she count him as a rabbit? A guinea pig for falling into Karma-kun's schemes so easily?

Or the boy with a determined hand, the perfect umbrella for hiding the rain that surrounded her?

One thing Kayano knew though, the class or even Koro-Sensei hadn't pushed her to be who she was now; it was him, with a grin dripping honey over thorns. She was the vulture, she reminded herself, breathe. This was for her sister. Her chest constricted uncomfortably, and her eyes widened upon seeing his calming smile across from her.

There was something about his bloodlust, that instead of freezing her, it warmed her heart until she couldn't keep it checked anymore.

The green-haired assassin's shoulders relaxed, seeing the only option left for her. Victory was close, almost as sweet as the pudding they had created for Koro-Sensei.

She knew she had promised to support him, but surely nothing could stop her from fixing herself first, right?

"Checkmate."

Hazel eyes narrowed. _Down to the last pawn_...she still had to win!

Hair covering her heated face, she suddenly stood up. Knocking the pieces to the floor, she grabbed the unsuspecting boy's chin and quickly kissed his cheek before pulling away.

"Screw you Shiota, I win."

 _[Omake]_

Behind the flustered pudding-maker, a redheaded and blonde devil were discreetly taking photos of Nagisa's surprised face. The amount of ammunition possible was infinite, until their evidence was snatched out of their hands.

"Nufufufu, what a wonderful addition to my NagiKae album, don't you think?"

Karma and Nakamura stared blankly at the yellow perverted teacher cradling their phones, anti-Sensei knives, as dark as their dreams of blackmail, suddenly appearing in their hands.

"YOU'VE ALREADY CREATED A SHIP NAME?! THAT'S OUR JOB!"

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 **DISCLAIMER: I own absolutely nothing, except for my characterizations. The lyrics are attributed to Yucha-P's "Checkmate" sung by the Vocaloid Gumi.**

 **A/N: Hello! I am Misa Kagekatsu, back after a long hiatus. Assassination Classroom has captured my heart, so I hope you enjoyed this little one-shot. :) Feel free to drop a review, or offer constructive criticism. Nice to meet you!**

 **I encourage you to check out the song this was based off of-the Nico Nico Chorus is fantastic.**

 **-In short, Nagisa had won their game of chess, so our favorite green-haired assassin had to win somehow, yes?-Set after the Valentine's arc, as a sort of AU. Should I write a corresponding** **fic from Nagisa's perspective...hmm.**

 **Enjoy!**


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